Teens get so embarrassed. About so many things. It’s a phase they will pass through, but in the meantime Saatchi & Saatchi London has made it useful. Life-saving in some cases.

The agency has created an app for Toyota Europe that uses a humorous threat of embarrassment to stop kids from speeding or using their phones while driving.

And while most teen embarrassment usually frustrates the wishes of the adults who made them, this embarrassment is designed to make teens drive safely when their children borrow their car.

Research provided by UK charity, Brake, shows that young drivers are at a much higher risk of crashing than older drivers, and one in four 18-24 year olds crash within two years of passing their driving test.

Jason Mendes, executive creative director of global brands at Saatchi & Saatchi added, “Tell teenagers to turn their phone off in a cinema and they will – tell them to turn it off in a dangerous situation, like driving a car, and they won’t. Go figure. However, for teenagers, the threat of embarrassment is far more severe than the threat of injury. That insight, we thought, was a powerful platform to create something that would cut through, make a difference and ultimately continue the conversation around safety.”

Both parent and teen need to download the Safe and Sound app and then pair their phones. That may involve another threat – “download or never drive my car.” When a teen wants to borrow their parent’s car, the parent simply need to activate the app by swiping.

The app initially works by blocking all social media notifications and incoming calls through the ‘do not disturb’ feature. This is activated via Google Maps API technology when it detects the car is moving over 9 mph.

But because Saatchi & Saatchi knows that there’s nothing teenagers fear more than being seen as uncool, the app also harnesses a music functionality that syncs both parent and child Spotify accounts. When the young driver touches their phone or exceeds the designated speed limit when driving, the music they are playing through Spotify will suddenly cut out and their parents’ embarrassing playlist will kick in instead. Of course, parents can add any song they like to this playlist – no matter how daggy.

Only once the driver stops interacting with their phone or returns to within the speed limit, will their own music return. At the end of the drive both parent and teen are provided with a drive summary on the app.

Sadly, young drivers don’t fear the threat of a dreadful car accident. The National Safety Council in America found 26% of all road accidents are caused by improper mobile phone use and that 80% of young drivers make or receive phone calls while driving and 72% text. A third of fatal young driver crashes in the US are speed-related.

So one of the scariest moments in any parent’s life is when their child passes his or her driving test. And even if there is ample trust in their child’s driving ability, there is the added danger of other drivers on the road. 74% of parents worry more about their child being in a car accident than crime and drugs.

The app also comes just as UK legislation has become tougher. New drivers caught using their phone at the wheel now have more points deducted, a greater fine and an instant driving ban.

Dario Giustini, Toyota Motor Europe’s senior manager, brand & communications, for Toyota Europe, commented, “We have a safety first approach globally and it is our mission to one day eliminate all road accidents. Because we truly believe in safety as a company, we decided to actually do something about it. Above and beyond our products. The Safe and Sound app will hopefully help to raise awareness especially among young drivers about the dangers of improper mobile phone use in the car. This app is not just available for Toyota drivers but for anyone and everyone on the roads.”

The app was released to coincide with the start of school and university summer holidays when the UK’s roads are flooded with young drivers. Its campaign includes two 40 second content films that are being featured on Toyota social media channels.

It is available to download for free from the Google Play store, but is available for Android phones only.